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Puppy in Hittite Ritual pp.1-6
Puppy in Hittite Ritual pp.1-6
Puppy in Hittite Ritual pp.1-6
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THE
ORIENTAL I
NEWS & NOTES NO. 136 WINTER 1992 ©THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Orthostat relief from Malatya depicting a lion hunt with chariot. The dog is shown below the horse.
Neo-Hittlte period with Assyrian Influence. Drawn by Edward Castle
not end with these activities, however. to guard the soul of those who are pure was put into contact with the inflicted
Young dogs also played an extensive from the unclean spirits who fight to person and then, since it was thought
and apparently vital role in ritual. take possession of it after death. to take on the disease, was killed and
Indeed, puppies were exploited for Vedic accounts say that the wind in examined.
ritual use to the exclusion of adult the form of a dog accompanies the In Sparta, dog sacrifice was practiced
dogs. The reasons for this are never soul on its journey. In Greece and the in the cult of Ares/Enyalios with the
explained in ancient sources, although Near East, a representation of a dog purpose of purifying a wound inflicted
we may speculate that dogs were served as a guardian in burials. by weapons. The dog was believed to
more easily available to the common possess the power to cure blindness by
But if they are symbols of death and
populace that practiced these rituals licking the eyes, and the school of
misfortune, they are equally associ-
than other animals, and that puppies Hippocrates recommended the meat of
ated with healing and life. In
were otherwise valueless, since they a hound as particularly good for one's
Mesopotamia, the dog was considered
had not yet been trained as sheep dog, health.
sacred to the goddess Gula, a healing
watchdog, or hunting dog. It seems
deity. Near her temple in her city, Isin, The Roman author Pliny wrote of a
very likely as well that some symbolic
thirty-three adult dog burials, dated to remedy for a disorder of the stomach
or religious significance was attached
the beginning of the first millennium, that involved pressing a blind puppy to
to puppies that was not attached to
have been found, along with pendants the sick person's abdomen for three
fully grown animals .
with dogs drawn on them and clay dog days. The illness was absorbed by the
Historically speaking, few animals figurines. puppy, which then died as a result of
carry as much symbolic baggage as it.
In classical Greece, dogs were thought
the dog . The howling of a dog is
to cure various illnesses by licking the In medieval Germany, a ritual could
almost universally a harbinger of
inflicted area and were associated be performed to rid oneself of fever
misfortune or death. Its habit of
with the cult of Asklepios, the mytho- and ailment. It entailed placing a bowl
burying bones has generated in many
logical healer, and with Eileithyia, of sweet milk before a dog and
cultures the belief in the dog as a
goddess of childbirth, in whose cult the reciting the lines, "Good luck, you
companion to the soul on its journey to
sacrifice of a dog was thought to ease hound, may you be sick and I be
the underworld . The Parsees in India
the birth. sound!" When the dog has drunk some
place a dog before the dying so that
Among the Greeks, dogs were even of the milk, the afflicted person drinks
their eyes can rest on the animal upon
used to diagnose disease . The animal after him. This alternation was
the moment of death. A dog also helps
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repeated three times, after which the my right hand and say, 'Just as the The puppy could also be used
dog took on the illness and the person puppy licks its own nine body parts-I apotropaically, as in the Ritual of
was free of it. call the person by name-in the same Huwarlu, in which a puppy is left in
way let it lick up the illness in so-and-
The belief in the dog's medicinal and the bedchamber of the king and queen
so's body parts! Let it lick up the illness
purificatory powers, thus, was widely of (his) shoulder! Let it lick up the
overnight to protect them from evil
held. But why a puppy instead of an illness of (his) shoulder blade. And I while at the same time a figurine of a
adult animal? The sources are silent make the puppy run behind his back. puppy is set on the door bolt to make
on this point. The Hittites were not The head (of) the puppy I take hold of sure that the evil does not return
by the mouth. Let it lick up the illness through the door:
alone in their use of puppies in ritual.
[of (his)) h[ead]! The illness [of] his
Puppy burials dated to the early fifth They make [a pu]ppy of tallow, and
meliya- [and ... ]Iikewise (let it lick up).
century have been found at Sardis. In they set it on the wood of the palace's
The illness of his shoulder and back
this town of Asia Minor, young door bolt, and the Old Woman says as
likewise (let it lick up). The iII[ness] of
follows: 'You (are) the puppy of the
puppies were killed, dismembered, his anassa- [likewise] (let it lick up).
table of the king and queen, and as by
and buried in pots, although not The illness of (his) anus likewise (let it
day you do not allow a strange person
apparently eaten, as part of a ritual lick up). [The illness of his ... likewise]
into the palace, on this night you must
banquet to Hermes Kandaulas (the (let it lick up). The illness of his knees
not allow in an evil word.'
likewise (let it lick up). [ ... Let it] lick up
epithet, coincidentally, means "dog The phrase "puppy of the table" has a
the illness of his parasna-.'
throttler"). parallel in Book 23 of the Iliad, where,
This ritual is referred to as a transfer
The Hittites were not exceptional in during the funeral of Achilleus' friend
ritual because, by means of the
their view of the dog's healing Patroklos, we find a reference to nine
touching, the sickness or impurity
abilities. In the Hittite Ritual of Zuwi, "dogs of the table" belonging to
passes from the human patient to the
such a view is clearly outlined in a Patroklos. Two of these are killed by
agent of the purification, in this case, a
sympathetic magic ritual:
puppy.
I hold the puppy to (the patient) with continued on page 4
Orthostat relief from the city walls of Alafa Hoyiik depicting a lion hunt. The hunter Is aided by his dogs.
Hittite period. Drawn by Edward Castle
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continued on page 5
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transference. I have already men- Severing. In the Ritual for a Routed The puppy-severing rituals often
tioned holding the puppy against the Army we see a typical puppy-severing originated in the area of Kizzuwatna,
body parts of the patient. Other types ritual: in southeastern Turkey, where the
of transfer ritual involve the use of If the troops are defeated by the population spoke Luwian, and through
dog parts in medicine, waving the enemy, then the offerings are prepared which the Hittites often absorbed
animal over the patient, and-most behind the river as follows: Behind the Hurrian and Mesopotamian influ-
commonly-severing the animal into river they sever a human, a billy-goat, ences. They were part of the popular
two halves and sending the patient a puppy, (and) a piglet. On one side religion, performed for the army or the
they set halves and on the other side
between them. common people (never, it seems, for
they set the (other) halves. But in front
Potions. The Ritual of Hebattarakki the royal family).
(of these) they make a gate of haw-
describes a procedure against sorcery thorn and stretch a decoration up over Many other puppy rituals similar to
as follows: "I take dough of barley it. Then on one side they burn a fire this one are attested in the Hittite
flour and I mix into it the excrement of before the gate (and) on the other side corpus. Their abundance indicates that
a dog. " Other ritual preparations they burn a fire. The troops go through, a well-known ritual procedure was
and when they come alongside the
follow. The Old Woman makes two being followed-a procedure that has
river, they sprinkle water over
images of a duck and puts them on the parallels in adjacent cultures. As part
them(selves) .
patient's shoulders, then recites the of a ritual commonly performed for
following incantation: The severing rituals always require the army in Boeotia and Macedonia in
cutting a puppy in half, often along the classical period in Greece, a dog's
I have removed (the deity) Agalmati
with one or two other animals (usually head was severed from its body and
from you. I have pushed (the deity)
Annamiluli from your head. I have a piglet and/or a billy-goat), and in placed on the right, while the rest of
extinguished fire from your head, and special cases, as above, with a human. the body was placed on the left. The
ignited it in the sorcerer's head. I drove Almost always they involve a gate, entire army then marched through the
away the stench of the dog from you, most frequently made from a hawthorn divided carcass and was thereby
but the dog's excrement, the dog's bush. The purpose of the gate with its purified. It has been suggested that the
flesh, and the dog's bones I burned. thorns was to scrape off the impurity severing of the dog may have been
Waving. The Ritual of Tunnawi uses a from the offerant as he or she passed symbolic of the disunity of the army,
puppy and a piglet in a waving ritual. through . The halves of the severed which could be repaired when the
First the necessary ritual implements animal were placed on either side of army passed between the two halves
are listed: "If (it is) a man, then they this gate and the patient walked of the dog.
take a black ram, but if it is a woman between the severed parts, which
The Old Testament contains more
then they take a black ewe, one black presumably possessed the power to
parallels. In Genesis 15: 9-10, for
piglet, (and) one black puppy. If (it is) absorb the impurity from the patient as
example, Abraham cuts a heifer, a
a man then it is a male piglet, but if a he passed. It is interesting to note that
she-goat, and a ram in half and places
woman then (it is) female." The list the animals most often endowed with
the halves opposite each other:
continues for ten lines more and this power, namely the puppy and
includes a sheep and a lamb. Later in piglet, are themselves considered He (Yahweh) answered, 'Bring me a
the ritual a purification is performed unclean and impure and one wonders three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old
she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a
with each object, including the piglet if this fact rendered them particularly
turtledove, and a young pigeon.' He
and puppy: "Afterwards she lifts the capable of removing impurity in got them all and slit them through the
piglet over him/her, and she pro- others. middle, placing each half opposite the
nounces the charm of the piglet. The Ritual for a Routed Army was other; but he did not cut the birds.
Afterwards she lifts the puppy over performed for the military and we may Although no puppy is involved, this
him/her, and she pronounces the assume that the human sacrificed with ritual clearly resembles the Hittite
charm of the puppy." Finally, the the puppy was a prisoner. It is the only examples. A similar ritual is described
puppy and piglet are disposed of, certain attestation of a ritual human in Jeremiah 34: 18-19, where the
taking the evil that they have absorbed sacrifice. The sacrifice of humans was inhabitants of Jerusalem have sworn to
through this ritual with them: "And probably reserved for times of ex- a covenant with Yahweh but have
they carry the puppy and the piglet to treme need, such as when the army broken it. Yahweh makes clear his
another place and they bum them with was suffering defeat. There is even a displeasure:
fire." The sheep and lamb, in contrast, parallel for the sacrifice of human I will hand over the men who have
are offered to the Sungod later in the prisoners in Book 23 of the Iliad. At transgressed my covenant, who did not
ritual. the funeral of Patroklos, Trojan keep the terms of the covenant which
prisoners are thrown on the funeral
pyre along with Patroklos' pet dogs. continued on page 6
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DOUGLAS L. ESSE
December 1, 1949-0ctober 13, 1992
The Oriental Institute is deeply saddened by the death of Douglas L.
Esse, Assistant Professor of Syro-Palestinian archaeology and direc-
tor of the Tell Yaqush Expedition.
Doug came to the University as a student in 1975 and received his
Ph.D. with honors from the Department of Near Eastern Languages
and Civilizations in 1982; in 1987 he was appointed Assistant Profes-
sor in the Oriental Institute (his Ph.D. dissertation was published as
Subsistence, Trade, and Social Change in Early Bronze Age Palestine,
Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 50, 1991). He spent three
field seasons (1989-1991) as field director at Tell Yaqush in the
Jordan Valley investigating the development of urban civilization in
ancient Palestine.
Director William M. Sumner said, "We all loved Doug for his
friendly spirit, his gentle humor, and his natural kindliness. We
admired his seriousness of purpose in all aspects of his academic life .
... His enthusiastic love of scholarship was catching-we all caught
it from him in seminars and classes, even in the halls. Near Eastern
archaeology has lost a brilliant young scholar, we have lost a won-
derful colleague, and students have lost a terrific teacher. We will
never forget Doug."
Doug is survived by his wife of twenty-one years, Ann, and two
children, Joseph and Allison. A memorial fund has been established
in his name at the Oriental Institute. Contributions may be sent to the
Development Office.
(Further notice will appear in the 1991-1992 6-'lnual Report)
7
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CALENDAR OF
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Wednesday, January 13
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"Life in Ancient Nubia"
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Wednesday, February 17
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Matthew W. Stolper
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"Huteludush-Inshushinak and the Middle Elamite Twilight" Terry Friedman
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Central Connecticut State University-Stony Brook
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31 Myth of the Pharaohs!Ancient Mesopotamia
The Oriental Institute and NELC, and Field Director, The
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Join us for a series of informal gallery tours based on themes Egypt
and objects in the Museum's collection. Each tour will last
28 The Egyptologists
approximately 45 minutes.
The February gallery tours are offered in conjunction with
March 7 Megiddo: City of Destruction 1
these holidays and commemorations: President's Day, 14 Egypt: Gift of the Nile J
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draw up an accurate plan of the collected at various locations around News & Notes
buildings on the site in a fraction of the site and in some of the houses; A Quarterly Publication of The
the time it would have taken by drawings of these were incorporated Oriental Institute, printed for
traditional surveying techniques. In into our pottery corpus. Some Byzan- members as one of the privi-
twelve days we shot over 1000 points tine glass fragments were also found, leges of membership.
(features of buildings and topogra- but these, like the pottery, had to be
phy), which enabled us to plan 55 left on the site. I was assigned to Editor: Melanie Jansen
buildings; the map shown in figure 4 record the graffiti in an abandoned Marhefka
represents about a quarter of the main gold mine near the site. Two were
Advisory Board:
settlement. drawings: an elaborate boat and a lion.
William M. Sumner, Director
In addition, we also wanted a full One graffito was an inscription in
Gene B. Gragg, Professor
photographic record of the area we South Arabian, surprising until one
Charles E. Jones, Research
were surveying. This was carried out considers the relative proximity of
Archivist
by Henry, who clambered around on Fawakhir to the Arabian Peninsula.
Mary Shea, Museum Volunteer
the cliffs in search of the perfect view The best-preserved texts were four
Emily Teeter, Assistant Curator
of the individual buildings and whose graffiti in Greek. One was carved by a
Thomas Urban, Senior Editorial
excellent photographs are an impor- man named Longinus-a good Roman
Assistant
tant part of our recording of Fawakhir. name-as a prayer to "all the gods,"
Our geologist, Mohammed, made a which indicates a date before Chris- Telephone: 312/702-1677
detailed survey of the geological tianity reached southern Egypt Facsimile: 312/702-9853
makeup of the region. Collection and (probably third-fourth century A.D.).
Two of the Greek texts were by the All inquiries, comments, and
recording of surface pottery was done suggestions are welcome.
primarily by Lisa. Potsherds were same man-Dorkon, whose name may
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SKYLINE TOUR
COMES TO THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE
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A LATE PERIOD HIERATIC WISDOM TEXT [Po BROOKLYN 47.218.135] Richard Jasnow
This volume contains an edition of a wisdom text from papyrus P. Brooklyn 47.218.135, which is dated it to the fifth or fourth
century B.C. Because the wisdom text comprises one of the few known Late period literary works written in the hieratic script, it
takes on considerable philological importance. Despite the papyrus' relatively poor state of preservation, the wisdom text displays
similarities with both the earlier pharaonic and the later Demotic compositions. Undoubtedly, classicists and biblical scholars will
find that Jasnow's work raises the possibility of the text's connection to Hellenistic and biblical wisdom traditions. Jasnow discusses
the script, grammar, content and overall significance of the text. The volume also includes a hieroglyphic transcription, consecutive
translation, philological commentary, glossary, bibliography, and photographs.
Pp. xviii + 240; 20 figures, 4 tables
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GLASS FROM QUSEIR AL-QADIM AND
THE INDIAN OCEAN TRADE Carol Meyer
This volume is the final report on the first and second century A.D. Roman and thirteenth
and fourteenth century Islamic glass excavated at Quseir al-Qadim on the Red Sea coast of
Egypt. The report not only describes the glass finds but also studies their distribution from
the Red Sea to Arabia, East Africa, and India and raises some specific questions about the
export of glassmaking technology and about the character of long-range trade in glass in
both periods.
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